Say goodbye to <audio> <video> tags...

ATNO/TW

Super Moderator

Posts: 23454

Loc: Woodbridge VA

3+ Months Ago

For those of you who are now scratching your heads, saying, "Wait a minute. I don't remember ever seeing an <audio> or <video> tag." Well, you haven't, and now it looks like you aren't going to. It was supposed to be an addition to HTML 5. The gist was that the tags would allow embedding of audio and video in a browser without the need for third party plugins like Flash, QuickTime, etc.

Quote:

But the issue of what codec to use has been a hot potato. The codecs likely to have been recommended would have been Ogg Vorbis for audio and Ogg Theora for video, both of which can be implemented without paying royalties unlike with other formats.

Supporters for the use of those formats argue that no one company should profit or hold the power over a particular codec, which could influence its development and use depending on a company's business plans.

If browsers supported those codecs, Web developers could use open-source tools and encoders for those formats to put multimedia on their site for free, potentially striking a blow against vendors such as Adobe, Microsoft, RealNetworks and others that sell multimedia software tools.

The problem is Browser manufacturers couldn't agree on a common codec.

Quote:

Apple won't support Ogg Theora in QuickTime...Opera and Mozilla oppose using the H.264 video compression standard for various reasons...Google uses H.264 and Ogg Theora in Chrome, but also has a problem in how it can distribute the browser through third parties due to licensing issues with H.264...Microsoft hasn't made a commitment to support the video tag...

Quote:

"After an inordinate amount of discussions, both in public and privately, on the situation regarding codecs for <video> and <audio> in HTML 5, I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that there is no suitable codec that all vendors are willing to implement and ship," Hickson wrote.

"I have therefore removed the two subsections in the HTML 5 spec in which codecs would have been required, and have instead left the matter undefined, as has in the past been done with other features," Hickson concluded.

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UPSGuy

Lurker ಠ_ಠ

Posts: 2733

Loc: Nashville, TN

3+ Months Ago

Hrmm, this could be rather interesting for Firefox. 3.5 has support for the video tag in it. I rather like the embedded Vorbis videos.

joebert

Fart Bubbles

Posts: 13506

Loc: Florida

3+ Months Ago

Damnit.

The video I couldn't really care less about, Flash works just fine. But I was looking forward to an <audio> element that would work everywhere.

devilwood

Silver Member

Posts: 445

3+ Months Ago

Yes, a nice <audio> element would have been nice.

nath45

Born

Posts: 2

3+ Months Ago

this could be rather interesting for Firefox. 3.5 has support for the video tag in it.

UPSGuy

Lurker ಠ_ಠ

Posts: 2733

Loc: Nashville, TN

3+ Months Ago

Quote:

this could be rather interesting for Firefox. 3.5 has support for the video tag in it.

We must have wandered into the Great Halls of Ozzu, because I swear I just heard an echo.